Read this column, or you'll regret it

"Regrets, I've had a few," sings Frank Sinatra in the classic "My Way."

Me too, Frank, me too.

Paul Anka's lyrics continue with Ol' Blue Eyes singing "But then again, too few to mention." Although my regrets are also few in the grand scheme of things, as a paid communicator, I can't help but mention them. As the new arts season prepares to gear up this fall, here's a look back at my regrets from this past year.

• I wrote reams of copy on Orlando Shakespeare Theater's "The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby" — a play so long it's presented in two parts and therefore received two reviews. Yet somehow, inexplicably, neither of my critiques mentioned the riveting performance by Richard B. Watson.

That's an omission I regret. In my defense, there was a cast of nearly 30 in the show, but Watson stood out as the abusive schoolmaster. Cackling, bellowing with a twisted-up face, he mixed Wackford Squeers' off-putting physicality with a much deeper sense of internal evil.

• Another performer who deserved a shout-out: Stephen Merritt wasn't seen onstage in Rollins College's "Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare." But his clever keyboard playing was heard. With everything from snippets of Disney melodies to pop songs, used to underscore the jokes on stage, he was the perfect accompaniment to the silly fun.

• One of my favorite numbers in Christiane Noll's delightful show at the Orlando Cabaret Festival was her touching, grownup version of "Maybe," the simple lament sung by Little Orphan Annie. But in writing, rewriting and editing my review, somehow I never mentioned the song and how wonderful her rendition of it was. Now I have.

• I regret that people already are telling me they won't go to the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts because they think parking will be difficult. C'mon, at least give it a try.

• On the other hand, I regret that those in authority all over Central Florida consistently underestimate how important good, cheap, safe parking is to the public.

• Speaking of parking, I regret that patrons of the Orlando Fringe Festival turned to publicly disparaging arts leaders on Facebook about the parking situation in Loch Haven Park.

FYI, Orlando Repertory Theatre doesn't "steal" spots when it reserves part of the city-owned lot for its theatergoers. The parking rules during Fringe — including reserving spots for the Rep audience, with its young children — are agreed upon ahead of time by representatives from the festival, other Loch Haven groups and the city.

Of course, it's easier to engage in childish name-calling than to leave a little extra time for parking at the Fringe like the rest of us do.

• Speaking of Facebook, I regret that overzealous theater types exaggerate and mislead in social-media posts in order to make their productions sound better. Excerpting from reviews in a favorable way is a time-honored (if annoying) tradition, but some just go too far. I'm watching, and I know who you are. P.S.: Goading the reviewer is also not a good idea.

• I regret that because of space limitations, I didn't get to tell you a funny story singer-actress Lea Salonga regaled me with, about meeting Darren Criss, the "Glee" actor who starred in Broadway's "How to Succeed in Business…" at a New York karaoke bar. And the looks they got from confused patrons when they got up and started to sing. Oh, never mind, it was funnier when she told me with her charming laugh.

• Finally, I regret I cannot be in two places at once. Or, during peak weekends in the fall and spring, three places at once. Or even four. To paraphrase another cultural icon, the fabulous Mae West: So many shows, so little time.